ABSTRACT
Private and small businesses are the backbone of the nation's economy. Some media outlets, particularly those in large metropolitan areas, virtually ignore businesses that collectively employ more than half of the country's workforce and account for more than half of all private sector output. The business journalism has overlooked many small and private businesses compared with the coverage of public companies and well-known private corporations. The US Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 to aid and assist small companies. Private business owners and executives are sometimes willing to grant interviews to talk about the local and regional economy or to assess issues such as a shortage of experienced workers or how they will be affected by new laws. Many small business reporters focus on issues and trends instead of profiling companies. Some private companies willingly give a range of revenue and profits to publications such as the local business journal.
